I'm a little puzzled when new threads on this topic come up, as it seems to me that it's been discussed at length. Of course, I'm biased. I own a Supratek.
Here's a suggestion - go up to the top of this amps - preamps forum and click on the tab for "all time most popular threads". At the TOP of that tab you will find the "preamp deal of the century" thread. This thread is decades old, with 26 million page views. It is about the budget Supratek preamp. It is a killer.
Other than that, I second the recommendation for the Don Sachs model 2. I like small, boutique builders. Maybe check out Emmanuel Go and his "First Sound" line. I like hand built, point to point wiring, obsessive engineering. But that's just me. There's a lot of good ones out there.
But there are many other *very fine* recommendations on this thread. Personally I don't subscribe to the "best preamp is no preamp" idea. A great preamp is the heart of a fine system. For many reasons.
Here's a suggestion - go up to the top of this amps - preamps forum and click on the tab for "all time most popular threads". At the TOP of that tab you will find the "preamp deal of the century" thread. This thread is decades old, with 26 million page views. It is about the budget Supratek preamp. It is a killer.
Other than that, I second the recommendation for the Don Sachs model 2. I like small, boutique builders. Maybe check out Emmanuel Go and his "First Sound" line. I like hand built, point to point wiring, obsessive engineering. But that's just me. There's a lot of good ones out there.
But there are many other *very fine* recommendations on this thread. Personally I don't subscribe to the "best preamp is no preamp" idea. A great preamp is the heart of a fine system. For many reasons.
